Ravens keeping Flacco

QB agrees to deal worth close to $20M a year

Associated Press

Associated Press

Published 9:38 pm, Friday, March 1, 2013

FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2013 file photo, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game in New Orleans. The Ravens will have to pay at least $14.896 million for Flacco to be their quarterback in 2013. The NFL set the franchise tag at that figure Friday, March 1, 2013, and if the Ravens can't reach agreement on a long-term deal with Flacco before free agency begins March 12, they could tag him. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, FIle)

The Super Bowl MVP quarterback agreed Friday to a new contact with the Ravens, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.

Terms were not immediately available, but Flacco was expected to get a long-term contract close to the $20 million average salary Drew Brees earns with New Orleans.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement has not officially been announced. Fox Sports first reported the new deal.

Flacco played out his rookie contract last season for $6.76 million and led Baltimore to the NFL championship.

The 28-year-old Flacco is the only quarterback to win a postseason game in each of his first five pro seasons. He had a spectacular playoffs and Super Bowl this year, throwing for 11 touchdowns with no interceptions.

He also holds the record for playoff road wins with six.

Before the Super Bowl, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti expressed confidence that Flacco would be the Ravens' quarterback of the future.

"We've never lost a great, great franchise player from the beginning," Bisciotti said. "I'm just very comfortable that it will get done."

On Friday, it did.

Flacco was a first-round draft pick in 2008 out of Delaware and is one of the most consistent postseason winners in NFL history.

Flacco said after the Super Bowl victory over San Francisco that he expected to be back in Baltimore. He made sure of that Friday, coincidentally hours after the franchise tag figures for 2013 became known.

Had Flacco been franchised, he would have earned at least $14.896 million this season.

League: The franchise tag for quarterbacks in 2013 will be $14.896 million. Under the franchise tag in 2013, a player is paid according to a formula based on salaries for the past five years at the position and their percentage of the total salary cap. With the non-exclusive tag, his team has the right to match any offer sheet, or get two first-round draft picks in return for allowing him to leave. Both sides can continue to negotiate on a longer deal after a franchise tag has been applied. An exclusive tag ties a player to his current team at a higher, but as-yet-undetermined price, for one season. Already tagged are Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd at $6.916 million, Indianapolis punter Pat McAfee at $2.977 million and Cincinnati defensive end Michael Johnson at $11.175 million. The other tags for franchise players are $10.854 million for cornerbacks; $10.537 million for wide receivers; $9.828 million for offensive linemen; $9.619 million for linebackers; $8.45 million for defensive tackles; $8.219 million for running backs; and $6.066 million for tight ends.

Falcons: The Atlanta Falcons started their youth movement Friday by ditching three key players from the most successful era in franchise history. The Falcons released running back Michael Turner, defensive end John Abraham and cornerback Dunta Robinson, moves that were not unexpected given their age (all in their 30s) and hefty salaries. Still, it was a stunning start to Atlanta's off-season makeover, especially for a team that came up just short of the Super Bowl, losing to San Francisco in a thrilling NFC championship game. In one swoop, the Falcons let go their top rusher, their leader in sacks, and a starter in the secondary.

Jets: New York signed defensive back Eric Crocker, defensive tackle Junior Aumavae and wide receiver Thomas Mayo. Crocker played in Arena Football last year for San Antonio. Aumavae entered the NFL as a free agent with Dallas last April. Mayo was an undrafted free agent with the Oakland Raiders last year.